The Manasha Garcia Interview

Every once in awhile the universe provides us with a glimpse of the all seeing eye. One that is not myopic but sees the possibilities in how machines work, how instruments play, how people think and how to articulate this in various languages.

Jerry Garcia left us 20 years ago and similar to when he had both feet on the ground his persona, point of view intelligence and art are as precinct today as they were when he was alive.

Jerry sought an uncluttered life, one where he could explore with unbridled freedom be it going on a cross country pilgrimage to see Bill Monroe and eventually forming Old and In The Way with David Grisman Peter Rowan Vassar Clements and John Kahn.

He felt free to explore blues scales and jazz scales with his buddy Merl Saunders which fed into a deep well of exploration in LOM or Reconstruction with Ron Stallings and Gaylord Birch.

Ultimately Jerry Garcia' hyper intensive need to play, his inventive guitar lines that fused his blue grass leanings with blues based Rock coalesced into psychedelic rock and a band beyond description known as the Grateful Dead.

All the living members of The GD have gone on to have prolific solo careers but none of them could have sustained that band for 40 years.

Jerry Garcia was the only person that could do this. He was carefree and serious at the same time. He was diplomatic in almost all situations. Treating the blue collar cats the way he would anybody else because Jerry came from the working class. He respected people and nature, he had so much to express that when the Dead came off a 3 week run of grueling shows he was back out on the road with his own band playing originals and covers that reflected his love of rhythm and blues and soul.

In the late 1970s Jerry met my guest in Chicago. They had a completely cosmic relationship and she inspired him to draw and paint. She was part of a traveling community that got to see the band when they were still playing 500 seat theaters like the Uptown in Chicago, or The Agora Ballroom in Cleveland and college gyms like The University of Vermont and Frost Amphitheater in Palo Alto.

They fell in love and remained very close during a transitional period within both of his bands. Jerry needed the shelter of someone's arms and my guest was a resilient source of love for Jerry during some of his more internal contemplative years.

When his lifestyle caught up Jerry found himself taking a long nap in a hospital bed. He woke up 3 weeks later and that bond that existed between my guest and Jerry  swelled into a union of marriage.

Seeing opportunities not losing them, letting go of the burdens of trying to please everybody and recognizing his incredible stardom without judging it or trying to live up to it. Seizing on new life.....

Fly through the night.....Manasha Garcia welcome to the JFS...